How cold is cold?

Did it happen to you on a normal day where you are in a room with other, you feeling really hot and they are just chilling? It happened to me at least and I was like: what is wrong with you people?

Well, in this article we are going to talk all about temperature, why are we affected by it, what does to it does to us and of course, some fun facts!

Let go back to the biology class!

According to our nature we are considered as “Warm-blooded” creatures, which means that we are able to maintain a body temperature that is higher than the surrounding environment.

The process we involuntary do to regulate the body temperature is called “Thermoregulation” it is not a single switch that our bodies can turn on or off, rather it is a complete system that works in response to the surrounding conditions.

What is the normal body temperature and why is it important to maintain it?

There is no pinpoint figure that indicates a normal body temperature, it is known that the average body temperature is 37C, but normal body temperature can range between 36.1 and 37.2.

Body temperature has to be maintained within that range in order to ensure the optimal functions of the organs, hormones and enzymes that regulate your body, so it is not only wearing a nice fashionable jacket, but also making sure that you are taking care of your body.

 

What happens if the body temperature goes up or down?

 

Our bodies automatically react to changes in the ambient temperature in different ways, let’s have a look

 

 

Why some we have different endurance to change in temperature?

 

Back to the question we raised at the beginning of this article, why some people have more tendency to cope with high or low temperature more than others, below are some examples of those incidents and what effect they have on our body:

 

Body Fat Percentage: Studies have shown that the extremities temperatures in men are positively correlated to body fat ratio, which means more body fat a higher sense of warmth.

 

Gender: Women require more energy to warm up their internal organs; therefore, they exhibit lower skin temperature than men in the trunk, upper and lower limbs.

 

Smoking: Times and time again, smoking (Actively or passively) is related to constriction of blood vessels (Vasoconstriction), therefore smokers have higher tendency to have colder extremities.

 

Exercise: One of the multiple benefits of an active lifestyle is developing a good circulation system, therefore warmer extremities overall.

 

YOU: Yes you, your perception of what is hot or what is cold plays an important role in reacting to the environment around you, feeling warm to you might mean that you have to feel yourself as if you are emitting heat, on the other hand, you might still convince yourself that you are warm while your hands are stone cold.

 

 

Here are some tips to counteract the change in temperature up or down:

 

Some outstanding facts about Temperature!

 

 

 

 

 

Stay Positive, Stay healthy, Stay grateful! 

 

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warm-blooded

https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-fever/basics/art-20056685

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-humans-get-goosebu/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030645651730308X?via%3Dihub

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7484781

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/5-tips-for-keeping-warm-during-a-canadian-winter-1.1345737

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/weather/11643563/19-tips-to-stay-cool-in-the-heat.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_extreme_temperatures

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wim_Hof#Records

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2014/11/14/364060441/you-might-be-surprised-when-you-take-your-temperature

https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/article/95/4/251/1562440

 

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